1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to safety helmets. The invention relates particularly to a safety helmet for motorcycle drivers or the like, including a helmet shell which is open at the chin of the user and has a shock-absorbing inner lining, and a folding portion which is swivably and removably connected to the helmet shell. The folding portion forms a chin protector composed of outer shell and inner lining and includes a visor and any other devices usually arranged in the chin area of a helmet, such as, ventilating devices.
2. Description of the Prior Art
One type of safety helmets known in the prior art are so-called integrated safety helmets. In the integrated safety helmets, a chin protector is formed in one part with the helmet shell. A cutout formed in the helmet shell essentially extending around the face of the user of the helmet is covered by a removable or replaceable shield which has swivelably connected thereto a visor of transparent plastics material. Integrated safety helmets of this type have, as has been recognized early, a number of disadvantages. One disadvantage is that placing the helmet over the head of the user is uncomfortable. More importantly, another disadvantage resides in the fact that the helmet is difficult to remove, particularly after an accident.
These disadvantages of so-called integrated safety helmets described above are avoided in a safety helmet disclosed in German Pat. No. 28 46 636. This safety helmet includes a folding portion which essentially covers the entire front opening of the helmet shell. The folding portion overlaps the edges of the helmet shell in the upper and side portions thereof to a greater or lesser extent. The folding portion has in the region of the chin a shock-absorbing inner lining. A free space remaining between the folding portion and the helmet shell in front of the face of the user of the helmet can be opened or closed as desired by means of a visor of transparent plastics material which is hinged to the helmet shell. The visor can be opened, for example, in order to improve the fresh air supply to the user of the helmet. Safety helmets of this type provide the same protective effect of that of an integrated safety helmet, while they avoid their most significant disadvantages.
However, since in safety helmets of this type the swivelable visor is hinged to the helmet shell and surrounds the outside of the helmet shell, this type of helmet has the disadvantage that, when the helmet is worn during driving and the visor is opened, a substantial accumulation of air occurs between the visor and the face of the helmet user, and also between the visor and the helmet shell. This type of safety helmet has the further disadvantage that the visor which consists of transparent and, thus easily scratchable plastics material, is always located on the outer side of the helmet and will be scratched prematurely and, therefore, its transparency will be reduced.
In addition, it must be possible for a helmet user to wear the helmet without any chin protector at all. In this case, the user of the helmet is not worse off with respect to any possible danger of injury than if a helmet is worn with its chin protector and visor being swivelled upwardly.
It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to improve a safety helmet whose front opening of the helmet shell is covered by a swivelable folding portion, so that the folding portion covering the front opening cannot be released unintentionally while, on the other hand, the folding portion can be removed quickly when desired.
It is another object of the invention to provide a visor arranged in such a way that no increased accumulation of air at the helmet occurs when the visor is opened.
It is another object of the invention to provide a visor arranged in such a way that no increased accumulation of air at the helmet occurs when the visor is opened.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a visor which can be swivelled into a protected position when the helmet is not worn.
Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a helmet which can be worn without a chin protector, but with other devices which are advantageous particularly during the summer.